QUEENS, NY — How many more subdivisions do the 2024 New York Mets have in their storybook season?
How many more words, punctuations, dreams, and logic-defying realities?
Game 5 of the NLCS at Citi Field against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers is just the latest last stand for Carlos Mendoza’s men, who have been knocked to the canvas so many times this season but have found a way to dust themselves off, wipe off the blood, and counter.
There are almost too many of these instances to count. That’s why the Mets’ manager said this could be the script of some sort of fairytale or film.
By now, you have been regaled with all of it: An 0-5 start, 11 games under .500 in early June, no Kodai Senga, Edwin Diaz’s suspension, Seymour Weiner, Grimace, Francisco Lindor’s resurgence, OMG, and ultimately, the best brand of baseball over the final four months of the regular season followed by a captivating run to the NLCS.
Corny? Maybe. Quirky? Certainly. Special? You bet.
“We’ve been faced with tons of adversity all year, and we’ve answered the bell pretty much every step of the way,” slugging first baseman Pete Alonso said. “We need to do the same, especially [Game 5] and every game moving forward.”
The past three weeks have featured some of the biggest moments in franchise postseason history. Alonso kept the lights on for both his team and perhaps his Mets career with the game-winning home run in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Francisco Lindor followed up his postseason-berth-clinching home run on the final day of the regular season with an NLDS-clinching grand slam in Game 4 against the Phillies.
“Just having our backs against the walls pretty consistently throughout the year has taught us a lot about our character and who we are in our identity as a team,” Alonso said. “We’re a super resilient bunch. We’ve had to pretty much answer the bell all year, and it’s no different now.”
The mentality is unchanged, but the situation is. This is not the Atlanta Braves, or the Brewers, or the Phillies. The Dodgers are the most complete team in baseball, anchored by a generational lineup that features three former MVPs and the game’s greatest player, Shohei Ohtani.
That lineup has thrashed the Mets, outscoring them 30-9 across the series’ first four games to take this commanding 3-1 lead.
“Losing the way we have at home, is that fun? Is that great? No,” Alonso said. “We need to be better, but I think that over the course of this series, there’s a lot of opportunities to learn from, and we have to apply those lessons moving forward.”
The most glaring issue outside of the Mets’ pitching struggles, which has seen their arms issue 31 walks, is an offense that cannot take advantage of its bevy of opportunities. They are 4-for-29 with runners in scoring position in the NLCS and have left 35 men on base. That is about as uncharacteristic a stat for these Mets, who have seemingly found a way to come through in every big moment thrown their way between June and the second week of October.
“We can do it. This team is very capable,” veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. “This is a very good team. It’s going to take all of us to pull together and work on the same cylinder. Some good things are going to have to come our way… That’s how you win baseball games. Take care of the little things and then the ball hopes your way a few times. Momentum can shift very quickly. We know that.”
If the Mets can pull out a Game 5 win — David Peterson will start the first postseason game of his career against Jack Flaherty, who shut New York down in Game 1 — they travel back to Los Angeles with their ace Sean Manaea primed for Game 6. Then, it could be anyone’s series.
“This isn’t new to us, but it’s very real,” Nimmo said. “If you lose one game, you’re done.. But we’re going to keep going, and if we come back from this, then it’s going to be a heck of a story. We’re going to be adding to that whole Grimace, OMG stuff. It’s going to be fun… We’re going to give it everything we’ve got, and we’ll see where we’re at at the end of the day.”
